Today's Opinions

In less than two months veterans of D-Day from all around the nation are expected to come to Bedford to participate in the 65th anniversary of D-Day gathering scheduled to be held in June. The event is expected to draw thousands and will likely be the last large-scale observance of the anniversary of D-Day. The event, sadly, will be one man short with the passing this week of Ray Nance.

Last Thursday marked my 100th day as your U.S. Congressman, and I’d like to report back on some of the successes of this first 100 days and what more remains to be done. While the extraordinary times we face have demanded some extraordinary measures, like the recovery bill, I believe we have laid a strong foundation for economic recovery and fought successfully for the priorities for Virginia's working families.

Just a few days ago millions of Americans from across this great country joined together to participate in taxpayer tea parties. These gatherings were an opportunity for everyone to express their frustration and disdain for our broken tax code and the out-of-control government spending currently taking place in Washington.

Tax Day 2009 had a new feature this year: so-called tax day tea parties, where people showed up to replicate the old Boston Tea Party and express their opposition to, well, paying taxes, I guess.

Held in cities all across the country, including Roanoke, participants bemoaned the Obama stimulus package, the various government bailouts, and of course, the Internal Revenue Service, everyone’s least favorite government agency.

By midnight tonight everyone is to have paid “their fair share” to the United State Government. Don’t forget, as our vice president said, it’s our patriotic duty. If only we had some patriots in Washington ready to follow their own rhetoric. To hear them talk, you’d think April 15 should be a time for hot dogs, watermelon and fireworks — not the Fourth of July.

Should Liberty High School and the other Bedford County high schools move their proms this year form downtown Lynchburg? That is a question that many Bedford County parents are asking in the wake of increased shooting and violence in the downtown Lynchburg area.

Last week, I embarked on a whirlwind “New Energy for the 5th” Tour, surveying the incredible opportunities to transform Southern and Central Virginia into the region leading America into the new energy economy. In every corner of the district, we have entrepreneurs, workers, farmers, and planners with energy projects that can produce good jobs and strong economic development, while helping to wean our nation from foreign oil.